


Saltier at the Fringe

by GrandDukeForever



Series: The Depth of Obsession [4]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death Fix, Fix-It, Incest, M/M, Past Abuse, Past Underage, Past Underage Sex, Protective Siblings, Sibling Incest, Sibling Love, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:00:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23061334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrandDukeForever/pseuds/GrandDukeForever
Summary: The VERY overdue final installment to The Depth of Obsession series.A chance discovery made by Newton and Hermann changes everything.THIS IS AN OC-HEAVY STORY.  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.  (You will need to read the rest of the series in order to understand where this one is coming from.)
Relationships: Original Male Character/Original Male Character, Raleigh Becket & Yancy Becket, Raleigh Becket/Yancy Becket
Series: The Depth of Obsession [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/54355
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	1. Renewal

**Author's Note:**

> That's right—at last, I live. It's been a chaotic few years, but I think I'm finally back in the game. It's been so damn long, I'm not sure if anyone would be interested in this series anymore, or further development of my beloved OCs, but here we are. My writing style might have changed a bit—of course, I can't really tell whether it has or not, but hopefully I've grown as a writer in the time I've been away.
> 
> For those who have been waiting for this, I hope you'll all enjoy. I still had my original notes for the thing, so hopefully I won't leave this story in limbo like I have done with my other projects (which I am working towards completing before debating whether or not I hang up my fanfic writing hat for good). I can at least promise that I'll be committing to completing what's left of my unfinished works before I make that final decision.
> 
> Anyway, here goes...!

It’s been fucking quiet in Jeremy’s head for months now, but he doesn’t talk about it. At first he just thought that Kyle was pissed at him. They argued sometimes, in the Drift. Just like any other couple would, though of course their situation was anything other than ordinary.

Then Jeremy took time to think about it more. No matter how angry Kyle would get at him sometimes, the silent treatment was always Jeremy’s speed more than it had ever been Kyle’s. He spent several days searching, and eventually, he found that there was just a _void_ where Kyle’s presence once was. He didn’t know how, but he somehow knew that Kyle was no longer present in the Drift. That knowledge was daunting. Once he realized this, he began to throw himself into construction work, and withdrew from his friends. The Beckets. Being the cranky, broody, somewhat anti-social man that he was, they didn’t necessarily notice much change. They wouldn’t be unaware for long, however.

* * *

Yancy groaned at the sound of buzzing coming from the nightstand. Eyes still closed, he rolled over in the bed and reached out his arm, grumbling discontentedly when he smacked at nothing but air. It took a moment for his tired brain to catch up and assess the situation. He was in bed with Raleigh. They had tumbled around last night. Yancy mentally smiled at this thought, exhausted as he was, because it had indeed been a rather fun evening for them both.

A warm body shifted beside him. Raleigh. The buzzing stopped for a moment, and then resumed again. Yancy grumbled. The fact that he had hit air when he had reached out meant that at some point, he and his brother had switched from their usual sides in the bed, and so the nightstand would be on the side of the bed Raleigh was currently on. Still refusing to open his eyes for fear of fully waking up much earlier than he would like, Yancy made the effort to turn his head, mumbled something mostly incoherent, but that somehow made sense to Raleigh—after all they _were_ brothers and they _did_ share a Drift connection—and nudge d his younger brother to _please do something about that awful buzzing_. To which Raleigh mumbled something incoherent back. E ver since reuniting with Yancy, and getting to some sort of domestic equilibrium with him, he was actually _going_ to sleep now and enjoying it almost as much as his older brother. Raleigh eventually turned over to hit what they both assumed was the alarm clock, using Yancy's guidance through the Drift as a reference.

Both of them mentally frowned when the buzzing didn't cease, and Raleigh was the first to open an eye and glare at the nightstand, to figure out what on earth was going on. He chuckled mentally when Yancy informed him in a matter-of-fact tone that he didn't plan to get up unless it was important, so _don't wake_ _me up, Rals_.

“ _Yeah, yeah, I know, Yance,”_ Raleigh replied back through their link before pinpointing the source of the sound; Yancy's cell phone. _“ It's yours. Want me to answer it?”_

“ _What? What time is it right now?”_ Yancy whined through their connection.

Raleigh chuckled softly. _“Two.”_

“ _AM?”_ Yancy asked incredulously.

Raleigh laughed lightly again. _“Yeah. What do you know, huh?”_

“ _Geez Louise! The fuck you mean things keep happening at two in the fucking morning...”_

Raleigh's lips quirked slightly at the corners. _“Careful, Yance...you're starting to sound like Jeremy.”_

“ _Listen, I realize right now he and I would be in complete agreement, and I'm totally okay with admitting that at the moment...who is it?”_

Raleigh read the name showing up on the caller ID and arched an eyebrow. _“Huh. Tendo.”_

“ _Tendo?”_ Yancy asked. _“What's he want?”_

Raleigh gave a mental shrug. _“I don't know...let's find out.”_

“ _And tell him to not call me so fucking early in the morning unless it's actually important.”_

Raleigh snorted softly. _“Yeah, whatever you say, Jay.”_

“ _Hey, I resent that!”_

Raleigh rolled his eyes and ignored his brother as he answered the phone. “Hello?”

Tendo's cheery voice came through immediately. _“Yo! Yancy?!”_

Raleigh shook his head, even while knowing the other man couldn't see. “Nah. It's Raleigh. Yancy's sleeping. Come on, man. You know better than to call my brother this early in the morning.”

“ _Oh, right. Guess I should have called you—not that it matters, right? You ended up answering the phone anyway,”_ Tendo quipped.

Raleigh half-smiled and let out a soft chuckle of amusement. He could never really get mad at Tendo.

“Well, what’s up, Tens?” Raleigh asked.

“ _Newt and Hermann discovered something new about the Kaiju portals. Thought you and Yancy might be interested in knowing.”_

Raleigh raised an eyebrow, interest slightly piqued. He could feel his brother was of the same sentiment; he felt a light nudge of curiosity towards him in the Drift.

“What is it?” Raleigh asked.

“ _Time travel,”_ said Tendo. _“They think it’s possible. And get this—they think that’s why we had so much trouble beating them down until y’all came up with that nuclear explosion plan. Why they always seemed to be two steps ahead.”_

“Huh.”

“ _Imagine that, right?”_ said Tendo. _“So. Will you come?”_

“What, right now?”

“ _Yeah, right now!”_ said Tendo. _“And I quote Newt. ‘Discoveries of science wait for no man!’_ _Also, they’re looking for someone to test their theory. Who better than_ _Alaska’s_ _bravest and finest?_ _”_

“That does sound like him,” Raleigh said with a light snort. He turned slightly over at Yancy. “What d’ya think, Yance? Think we should head over?”

Yancy groaned and finally started to sit up in bed. He rubbed his hands over his face and sighed.

“Yeah, yeah…” Yancy grumbled. “Tell ‘em we’re coming.”

Raleigh chuckled. “We’re on our way, Tens.”

“ _Great! We’ll see you soon!”_

“Time travel, huh?” Yancy said after Raleigh hung up the phone.

Raleigh shrugged. “Newt wasn’t wrong about the Kaiju; the frequency in which they’d show up, how they were connected, what their plans were, how to take them down…”

“...so testing out his theory shouldn’t be that huge a risk,” Yancy said dryly, finishing his younger brother’s sentence for him. “That what you’re saying, Rals?”

“Maybe, or…”

Yancy frowned slightly when his brother trailed off. He searched the Drift, trying to tease out what his brother was working through in his mind. When he found the faintest glimpse of the thought process, his eyebrow raised slightly.

“Oh…” he said, then. “Didn’t think of that at all.”

Raleigh worried his lower lip with his teeth. “Think he’d be up for it?”

“That’s...that’s a big ask, Rals,” said Yancy. “He’s never—”

“I mean, you’re _right_ ,” Raleigh agreed with whatever Yancy was saying in his mind. “He’s never piloted a Jaeger, but he’s familiar with Drifting, and—”

“It’s a huge risk, Rals,” Yancy said, shaking his head. “We don’t even know if Newt’s theory is on point. Better we sacrifice ourselves for the greater good. At least, I mean, we’ll be—”

 _Together_ , the brothers think in unison. Raleigh’s lips pressed into a line.

“I...yeah. I know,” he said finally. “But what if…?”

“What if he’s right?” Yancy asked. He shrugged. “Sure, but what— _oh_.”

Yancy had another epiphany again. In the form of his younger brother’s train of thought, of course.

“You think…?”

“Yeah,” Raleigh said, nodding.

Yancy hesitated for a moment at first. Then he finally nodded.

“Alright,” he said. “Give Jerry a call. Guess it’s worth a shot.”

Raleigh didn’t miss a beat.

* * *

Jeremy huffed out a small cloud into the cold air just before raising his shoulders and trying to bunch his layers around him. His face sported his signature frown as he climbed into the backseat of the Becket's shared vehicle.

“Okay, so where exactly is it y'all said we were going again?” Jeremy asked crossly.

In the front, Raleigh and Yancy briefly exchanged amused smiles before the older man answered. “To our friend's lab, Jerry.”

“Oh yeah. Right. There,” Jeremy said, shaking his head as Yancy started up the car. “Great. And _why_ are we all going there so fucking early in the morning? I mean the fucking sun's not even up yet, for crying out loud!”

“ _Told you you're starting to sound an awful lot like him,”_ Raleigh teased Yancy through the Drift.

“Shut up, Rals.”

Jeremy quirked an eyebrow. “Y'all talking through that Drift link thing again?”

“Yeah, sorry!” Raleigh said apologetically. “How's Kyle?”

Jeremy shrugged. “Fine. How should I know?”

Raleigh looked over his shoulder at the dark-haired man in concern. “You haven't been able to contact him?”

He frowned when Jeremy looked away and shrugged. “I don’t know, man,” Jeremy said tersely.

“What’s wrong, Jay?” Raleigh asked, concern growing. “What aren’t you telling us?”

Yancy glanced at Jeremy through the rearview mirror. The dark-haired man didn’t answer at first.

Finally, he confessed. “Haven’t heard from him in months,” said Jeremy. “I don’t know...maybe I just haven’t been keeping up with the connection right or something. Lost touch. Can’t find him up there anymore.”

He tapped a finger at the side of his head when he said ‘up there.’ The Beckets shared a moment of brief alarm through their Drift connection. They didn’t even need to ask their next question. Jeremy offered up the information.

“It’s like he’s...just fucking _gone_ ,” he said. “I don’t know what to tell y’all.”

The ride went by quietly after that. Outwardly, that was. Raleigh and Yancy were busy going back and forth through their connection.

“ _We need to talk to them about this,”_ Raleigh said, referring to Newt and Hermann.

“ _Yeah, I agree_ ,” said Yancy. _“Maybe they’ll know what the fuck is going on.”_

“ _And how to fix it,”_ said Raleigh.

“ _Mmhmm.”_

Whatever excitement the brothers had prior to picking up their friend, it got lost by the time they made it to the lab. Now they were less concerned about time travel and more concerned about the mechanics of the Drift.

“Heya! Yancy! Raleigh!” Tendo greeted them cheerily.

“Hey, Tens,” said Raleigh.

“Tendo,” Yancy said.

Tendo noted the lack of enthusiasm in both men’s voices and frowned slightly. “Hey...something eating you guys?”

“This is Jeremy,” Yancy said, tilting his head slightly towards his friend. “You remember, right?”

“Yeah, I sure do!” Tendo said, walking up to shake Jeremy’s hand. “Been a while, hasn’t it? Brought him along for the ride, gentlemen?”

Jeremy shrugged and answered for them. “Something like that, I guess,” he said.

“Listen, Tendo,” said Raleigh. “We’ve gotta talk to Newt and Hermann, right away.”

Tendo noted the urgency in the man’s voice and nodded, eyes showing some concern. “Yeah, sure, sure. Come on. Right this way.”

“Well if it isn’t Alaska’s finest!” Newton said, greeting the Beckets excitedly. He noted Jeremy trailing behind them. “And you brought your friend.”

“Yeah, listen, Newt,” Yancy said. “Before we get into the whole time travel thing—”

“Oh and _boy_ do we have a lot to tell you about _that_!” Newton said excitedly.

Hermann tutted as he limped into view. “Come on, my boy,” he tsked. “The lad’s trying to tell us something first.”

“Oh right, right, yes, of course,” Newton said, nodding. “What’s good?”

“Can someone you’re connected to in the Drift just...disappear?” Yancy asked.

None were focused on Jeremy, so no one saw the dark-haired man visibly tense. Newton frowned.

“No...no, I don’t think so…” he said, shaking his head. “Never even thought—”

A familiar, accented voice chimed in; equally familiar clacking of heels following. “Not possible. The Drift is eternal. My father says so himself.”

Raleigh turned and smiled, eyes softening. “Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” he said, holding out an arm to hug his friend and former temporary co-pilot. “Good to see you, Mako.”

“Good to see you too,” Mako said, giving a warm smile back to her friend.

“You still hear from the Marshal?” Raleigh asked.

“Every day,” Mako said, nodding. “And as far as he’s aware, no one disappears in the Drift.”

“Um, who are you saying disappeared, exactly?” Newton asked.

“He’s sorry to interrupt,” Hermann said, with an eyeroll.

“What? No I’m no— _umph_!” Newton grunted when Hermann nudged his torso with a cane.

He gave Hermann a look that said ‘ _what_?’ Hermann just shook his head.

Raleigh grimaced. “Our friend,” he said, gesturing towards Jeremy. “He’s lost the person he was connected to.”

“Oh, right! You’re the one we helped,” Newton said, nodding. “We patched you through to Kyle Hunter, didn’t we? You’re saying he— _oh_ …!”

The scientist’s eyes widened. Hermann made something of a squawking noise that seemed to die in his throat as he looked at the other incredulously.

“‘ _Oh’_ ?” Hermann asked, disbelieving. “You’re seriously going to say _that_ , when—”

“No, no, no, _no…_ !” Newton said excitedly. “Don’t you _see_ , Hermie?! This could be our proof!”

The other scientist frowned. “Proof? Proof of what?”

“ _Ooh_ …!” Newton said, making fists with his hands in front of his chest in frustration. “Don’t you get it, guys?! This is a possible breakthrough for us!”

Yancy rubbed at the bridge of his nose and sighed. “All right, Newt. Slow down,” he said. “We all know your thoughts rattle on at about a mile a minute. Break it down for us. What’s so good about all this?”

“Well, don’t you _see_ ?!” Newton said, looking like he wanted to bounce all over the room. He pointed at each person he named. “ _If_ , what Mako and the Marshal are saying is true, that _if_ the Drift is, as the Marshal says, ‘eternal.’ Then _if_ , your friend has lost all contact with his counterpart in the Drift…!”

“Uh huh…” Yancy said, warily. “And…?”

“We just discovered time travel may be possible,” said Newton. “What if this is our proof?!”

It took a moment, but then Hermann groaned, sliding a hand down his face. “Newt, you _idiot_ !” he hissed. “You and your convoluted explanations— _allow me to explain_.”

Yancy shrugged. “We’re all ears, here,” he said.

“I think what Newt is _trying_ to say, is that perhaps we have already proven time travel using the Kaiju portals is possible,” said Hermann. “Whatever time frame we are in, right now, may have already taken place.”

“Come again?” Raleigh asked, brows furrowed together in confusion.

“Newt, correct me if I’m wrong,” said Hermann. “But your theory is that one of us must have already gone through one of the portals and either rewrote, or is in the process of rewriting history, yes? Perhaps they’ve saved whoever that soul is their friend is bound to.”

Jeremy straightened his posture a bit, at this. “So if I’m understanding you right…” said Raleigh, piecing the puzzle together himself. “You’re saying maybe in the future, one of us has gone back to the past and somehow _saved_ Kyle?”

“Bingo!” Newton said, back on his soapbox again. “Ding, ding, ding! You win the prize, Raleigh, my boy!”

“Oh, _dear god_ , Newt! Would it kill you to have an ounce of decency?” Hermann asked, exasperated.

“Well I’d say that leaves us a question,” said Tendo. “Which one of us went back?”

The group didn’t ruminate for very long until one of them spoke up.

“ _I'll do it.”_

All eyes in the room turned on Jeremy, who had been mostly silent until that moment. The dark-haired man folded his arms over his chest.

“We need someone to go back and test this thing, don't we?” Jeremy asked as he gave a slight shrug. “So how about me? I can do it. I'll go.”

There was dead silence for a moment. Then Raleigh spoke up.

“You sure, Jay?” he asked, worriedly. “You might be putting your life on the line here.”

“...I have the least to lose,” Jeremy said, though he did feel a little guilty when thinking about his parents and his father’s construction business. “With Kyle gone, I mean…”

He doesn’t have to say it. The brothers know.

Mako spoke up, then. “I’ll go too. That is, if more than one person can go.”

“Well, you’re still connected to the Marshal in the Drift, don’t you?” Newton asked.

She nodded. Newton shook his head.

“Then that doesn’t seem right,” he said. “Maybe...maybe we just send one person in, at first.”

“Then let it be me,” Jeremy said, walking more to the center of the group huddle now. He opened his arms a bit. “Tell me. What do I have to do?”

Newton and Hermann exchanged a look. Hermann spoke next.

“Tendo,” he said, turning to the technician. “Let’s suit this man up.”

* * *

Over the next hour, Jeremy received a crash course on how to pilot the small submarine they would be sending him in, to reach one of the open portals underwater, towards the center of the Earth.

“Now remember,” said Tendo. “I’ll be guiding you through your earpiece for as long as we stay connected, so if you have any questions about how to work something—”

“Yeah. I’ll ask,” Jeremy said, nodding.

He started to put on the scuba gear he was given. “Hey, Jay,” Raleigh said.

Jeremy looked over his shoulder and raised a brow at Raleigh. “What’s up?”

“Just...be careful out there, okay?” said Raleigh.

“Yeah,” Yancy said, nodding, his expression equally grave. “If something doesn’t look right, man, just turn around.”

Jeremy gave the brothers a half-smile. “Come on, what y’all take me for. Chicken?”

Synchronized frowns. “ _Jay_.”

“ _Jerry_.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Jeremy said, shaking his head as he started to finish suiting up. “If things don’t look right down there, I won’t lose my head.”

In a few minutes, Jeremy was in the small sub, being guided by Tendo towards what he was told was one of the more active looking portals. He wasn’t sure if Tendo’s voice was beginning to fizzle out, or it was just his stubborn self starting to drown out whatever he was being told. The only thing on his mind anymore was _Kyle, Kyle, Kyle_. He needed to see Kyle.

It was the strangest thing, once he hit the entrance of the portal. His mind barely had the chance to form the thought that _oh shit_ , even if he had wanted to turn around, he couldn’t. The portal practically swallowed his underwater craft, and in a few minutes, he whited out.

* * *

When he came to, it took him a second to realize where he was. He frowned as he looked around at somewhat familiar surroundings.

“ _...you listening, son?”_

Jeremy blinked, and then realized that right before him was his father, though he didn't know how, since he was just in a mini-submarine and wet suit not too long ago. The man was several years younger. How much younger, Jeremy had to take a minute to assess.

He shook his head. “Sorry, Dad,” he said. “Head in the clouds for a moment, there. What was it you were askin’ me?”

His father raised an eyebrow in slight interest—Jeremy didn’t often space out like that. He repeated, “I said, son, don’t worry about what you’re working on—I’ll have someone take over for you. So go on, get! You’ve got to give Kyle a proper send-off now, don’t you?”

The thoughts slammed into him like a train ramming hard into a cement wall. He remembered this conversation now. His eyes darted around. He was at the construction site. He was about to head for his truck. Now his mouth opened and closed like a fish, like it had before, but this time with a completely different reason. This time, he wasn’t at a loss for words.

He swallowed. “H-hey, Dad…?”

“Hm? Son?” his father asked.

This time, Jeremy had the courage to ask. “Would you…? Would you be mad if I joined the PPDC too, Dad?”

He planned to wait for his father’s answer. His father seemed to be taken by surprise at first, but this time, Jeremy didn’t feel the same guilt he had previously, that had prompted him to leave without asking his father the question.

“I…” his father began, then shook his head. “No, son. If that’s...if that’s something you want to do—I mean, I’ll have to break it to your mother, but...I don’t think either of us will stop you. Is that...is that what you think you want to do, son?”

When Jeremy nodded, this time it felt like a huge weight got pushed off his shoulders. “Yeah, Dad,” he said. “Yeah...I think I do.”

There was a moment of silence between them. Then his father nodded.

“Well...okay,” his father said. “All right, son. Just make sure to stop by the house before you take off with Kyle.”

“I will, Dad,” Jeremy said. “Don’t worry.”

His father watched as his son turned towards his truck. More than anything else, he wondered over the difference he had seen in his son’s eyes. It was an expression that he had never seen before. Where Jeremy had always been careful and reserved when it came to trying to avoid offending his parents, for the first time his father something more akin to fire in there. It was like his son was a slightly different person. It took him a few minutes before he could find the right word.

 _Conviction_ , Jeremy’s father finally settled on at last. There was a certainty in his son’s decision just now. As his father, well, he figured he had to respect that.

It took a second for Jeremy to realize he was jingling a familiar set of keys in his hand, and he couldn't help the little upward pull at the corners of his lips as he approached his old truck, which was still fairly new then, at the point in time he'd apparently returned to. Hopping into the front seat, he buckled himself in and took a few extra minutes to really settle into the driver's seat. He leaned back while placing his hands on the top of the steering wheel and rapping his thumbs against it. It felt an awful lot like coming back home. Of course, he supposed, that is what it basically was.

“Hey, Royal Blue...” he whispered fondly. “Been a long time, huh, old girl? I'm _back_ …!”

After another brief moment, he leaned forward and reached for his keys. Taking a quick breath, he turned them and started the ignition. When the engine roared to life, a pleased chuckle escaped his lips.

“ _Fuck_ yes…!” Jeremy whooped, head nodding once in approval before throwing the truck in gear and making his way out of the parking lot.

_He knew just where he had to go._


	2. Progression

It took Jeremy a moment to place himself, but he eventually figured out where he was in this timeline. He remembered he and Kyle had spoken in person a few weeks before he had stormed away to his father’s latest construction worksite, and that had been a tense conversation where Jeremy had declined joining the PPDC because he had promised his dad that he’d stay loyal to the family business.

So when Jeremy’s name flashed on Kyle’s cell phone, Kyle looked at it in wonder. He answered.

“...Jack?”

“ _Listen, Kyle,”_ Jeremy said. Kyle could hear the rumble of the other man’s truck as he was driving himself home. _“I talked to my dad. He said I could go.”_

Kyle blinked. It took him a few seconds to connect the dots and realize what the other man was saying. His eyes grew round.

“You...you asked him?” he asked, cautiously. “About joining?”

“ _The PPDC, yeah.”_

“And…?” Kyle said, suddenly feeling his heartrate spike a bit in anticipation. “What’d he say?”

“ _Those classes you plan on taking,”_ Jeremy replied. _“I’ll take them.”_

Kyle couldn’t believe his ears. He was so stunned, he couldn’t respond.

“ _I’ll go with you.”_

“I...really?” Kyle said in disbelief, and he quickly kicked himself mentally, because he didn’t want to talk his friend out of it.

“ _Yeah,”_ said Jeremy. _“I just have to go home and break the news to my mom. I promised my dad I’d let her know before I leave. With you.”_

“Why the...why the change of heart?” Kyle asked, again kicking himself for the accidental, potential self-sabotage. He didn’t want to change the other man’s mind at all. Still, he couldn’t help his curiosity.

He almost half-smiled when he heard the wind die down a bit on the other end, and he heard the familiar click of a lighter and Jeremy taking a puff of a freshly-lit cigarette. He imagined the other man was probably at a stoplight.

“ _...I just don’t want to have any regrets,”_ came the vague answer.

Kyle would take it, though. “All right,” he said, trying not to sound too excited. “Should I...should I come over to your place?”

He could hear Jeremy blowing out some smoke. _“Yeah, sure. Come on over.”_

“Great!” Kyle said with a smile. “I’ll see you soon, man.”

“ _Yeah. Knowing my mom, she’ll probably make us some food.”_

“Hey, sounds good to me,” said Kyle.

* * *

His mother took the news rather well. Jeremy was surprised, in fact, because it almost seemed as if she had been expecting it. As Jeremy predicted, his mother decided to prepare a meal for them.

“So it’ll be a week-long seminar, first?” Lisa asked.

Kyle nodded. “Yes. I guess it’ll be sort of like a bootcamp. Half of it will be telling us what to expect—the other half will be some training for those that decide they’re going to join.”

“I see,” Jeremy’s mother said. “When does it begin?”

“In two days,” said Kyle. “Yancy and I are going to be ordering a taxi to go to the recruitment center.”

Lisa nodded. “That’s good you boys will all be together. You’ve always been such close friends.”

Jeremy snorted softly at that. Sure, the dynamic changed in the future where he and the Beckets really did become close friends, but that was also somewhat a byproduct of their circumstances. If you asked Jeremy, Kyle would always be his number one.

His mother had caught the noise and looked at her son a bit curiously, but she didn’t pry. “Well,” she said. “At least you’ll have a couple nights with your father before you go.”

Jeremy nodded. Kyle spoke up again.

“We’ll be back after a week,” he reassured. “They give those who accept the assignment a month or two of downtime before we get shipped off to the nearest Shatterdome.”

Lisa smiled faintly. “That seems considerate of the program.”

No one spoke to the fact that the reason for this was likely because of the danger Jaeger pilots faced, and the risk of death that came with the occupation. Their attention turned towards the door when they heard it open and shut. It was Jeremy’s father.

“Lisa, I’m home!” said Charlie.

“We’re in the kitchen, Charles,” said Lisa.

“Hey boys,” Charlie said as he walked in. “Leaving tonight, right?”

Jeremy shook his head. “Turns out it’s in two days, Dad.”

“Oh, well, great!” said Charlie. “What’s for dinner, darlin’?”

“Baking a lasagna in the oven as we speak,” Lisa said with a smile.

“Sounds great to me.”

As Kyle repeated for his father the rundown of how recruitment for the PPDC would work, Jeremy sat back and took a good look around. This all felt surreal, and he was sure hoping he really was in the past. Knowing what he did now, he was determined to make things right.

This time, he was going to save Kyle’s life.


	3. Confession

To his surprise,  Jeremy did eventually become a Jaeger pilot. It was yet another out-of-body feeling experience for him. He couldn’t believe he was where he was, nor could he believe that he actually made it past the rigorous training. Construction work didn’t exactly prepare him for this.  He figured it had been the times he spent with Kyle in the Drift, from his actual time period, where Kyle had shown him just what it was like to be a Jaeger pilot. 

At some point, Kyle had introduced him to his parents. They were Navy Seals that occasionally came to the Alaskan Shatterdome, to visit Kyle.  Jeremy remembered finding it striking, how Kyle’s demeanor would change to something a lot more formal; he’d even stand straighter, around his parents. He liked the more relaxed side of Kyle better; the side he was sure his grandparents were responsible for nurturing. Jeremy himself found, with slight annoyance, that he too felt the need to adjust a bit of who he was for Kyle’s parents.  This was his future lover, after all, and he wanted to make a good impression, despite  cringing at  what he felt like was the cheesiness of it. 

W ith Jeremy having joined the PPDC, there were definitely clear changes in the timeline. The situation with the Beckets’ father leaving played out a bit differently. This time Jeremy waited together with Kyle at the Shatterdome in Anchorage, for Raleigh to turn eighteen and for him and Yancy to make it to where they were. 

In the Kwoon room, Jeremy had easily matched Kyle, blow for blow, and it was no surprise to either of them that they were assigned to each other as partners. Their first Drift connection would be the next day. Jeremy couldn’t help but wonder how that was going to go.

“You nervous?” Kyle asked Jeremy, looking down at him from the top bunk.

Jeremy shrugged; he  was lying on his back, glancing over at Kyle. “Maybe,” he said vaguely. 

He wasn’t about to tell the other man what he was worried about. Future Kyle had taught him how to put his shields up in the Drift, to prevent his partner from seeing something he’d rather keep private, but that was outside the context of using a Jaeger. He wondered if it would be any different. He imagined it wouldn’t be, but he wouldn’t know until they tried.

“You seem to be a natural at everything else,” Kyle said, moving to lie on his back as well; the blood rush to his head had started to feel a little uncomfortable. He mimicked how Jeremy had knit his fingers together and placing his hands atop his chest. “I have a feeling you’ll pick up Drifting pretty quickly too.”

“Mm.”

Kyle’s brows furrowed together slightly. “ You all right, Jack? You seem a little quiet today. Quieter than usual, I mean.”

“...sorry,” said Jeremy. “Guess I’ve just got a lot on my mind right now.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

Jeremy thought of what he should say. He couldn’t tell Kyle that he was worried about what would happen when they had their first neural handshake in a Jaeger, or that he was trying to remember what pilots they were working with had been defeated by which Kaijus, or even the characteristics of each Kaiju he’d remembered seeing on the news. He pressed his lips and let his tongue slide between them, to  make them moist. 

“Wondering what it’s going to be like,” he settled for saying. “When we fight our first Kaiju.”

Kyle shivered. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little afraid.

“Yeah...yeah me too,” he said softly.

That put a slight damper onto their conversation. Jeremy let out a small sigh and shut his eyes.

“Why don’t we get a little sleep, yeah?” he suggested. “We’ll find out how things go in the morning.”

“Yeah,” Kyle agreed. “Yeah, guess so.”

* * *

Their first neural handshake was interesting, at best.  Kyle nearly had them going down a rabbit hole. Jeremy remembered the Kyle from his time telling him how this first time had went, when he’d been paired with Ethan Bentley. 

Apparently Kyle had been fantasizing about the two of them getting together for a while.  Jeremy started to see blips of it, and then Kyle began to freak out. In his distraction, Jeremy nearly let some things slip about the time period he came from; he had wanted to reassure Kyle that he already knew, but he didn’t think he wanted to overload the other with that information. At least not now. The timing didn’t seem to be right.

K yle wouldn’t exactly meet his eyes, at first, after they had fallen out of alignment and were asked to step out of simulation. Not knowing what to do with his hands at the moment, Jeremy settled for placing them at his sides. Had he had pockets, his hands would be in them. 

“Hey,” he said softly. “Let’s head back to the room, okay? Talk.”

“Y-yeah,” Kyle stammered, voice equally as soft. “All right.”

After they made it back inside the room, Jeremy pushed Kyle gently against the door as he shut it behind the other man, locking the bolt lock with a click. Kyle’s face flushed, and he looked up at Jeremy in confusion, breathing shallow, and lips slightly parted.

“Jack...what…?”

He froze up when Jeremy lowered a hand and cupped it around Kyle’s cheek; running a thumb across the other man’s face, over the cheekbone. “ It’s all right,” Jeremy whispered, reassuringly. “I already know. That’s why I changed my mind. So I could be with you.”

K yle appeared to be at a loss for words. “I don’t...we never... _ when _ ?” Kyle finally settled for asking.

Jeremy half-smiled. “Let’s just say it took me a long time to figure things out, but I eventually did,” he said. “I mean, hey—better late than never...right?”

“I...yeah,” Kyle said, nodding, his eyes rounding a bit. He gulped. “I...wow.”

“You don’t have to hide it anymore,” Jeremy whispered as he ran his index finger down Kyle’s jawline and then tilted it upward. 

Jeremy’s other arm was above Kyle’s head. He tilted the other man’s chin upward, and Jeremy slowly moved his own head forward, to close the gap between them. Both men’s eyes closed when their lips met. The kiss was tender and slow.

W hen they parted, Kyle was looking at Jeremy in awe.  He wondered at the expression in Jeremy’s eyes. He didn’t think he’d ever seen them so intense before; not even when he was working a construction project, and that was certainly saying something. Eventually, Kyle managed to find a bit of his voice, though it was somewhat raspy.

“How...how long?” he asked quietly.

To his surprise, Jeremy whispered back his response; his voice just as hoarse. “...longer than you know.”

They remained like that for a long time. Kyle, wondering what Jeremy meant by the words. Jeremy, on the other hand, was wondering when the best time would be to tell the other man the truth. About where he was from, and how much he knew. The long stretch of silence seemed to last forever. Eventually, though, Jeremy lifted Kyle into a bridal carry and brought him over to the lower bunk, where Jeremy usually slept. 

Gently placing Kyle on the mattress, Jeremy soon climbed over him, legs straddling the other man’s waist. Jeremy again ran his thumb along Kyle’s cheekbone, and brought his face close to the other man’s.

“Tell me to stop, and I will,” Jeremy whispered.

Kyle slowly reached for that same hand and entwined their fingers. “Never,” he said, breathlessly. “C’mere, Jack…”

Kyle’s other hand reached for the back of Jeremy’s head, and his fingers threaded through the other’s darker hair. Jeremy gave no resistance when Kyle pulled the dark-haired man towards him until their lips were pressing together once more. They didn’t press further that night, but for each of them, what they were doing was enough.


End file.
